TurnKey Builders

TurnKey Builders embraces the Texas landscape when building its clients’ dream homes.

By Janice Hoppe-Spiers, Senior Editor at Knighthouse Media

The great recession of 2008 began with the collapse of the $8 trillion housing industry. It was the same year that Greg Hoppes was determined to make his way as a homebuilder even though times could not have been worse. “I started my homebuilding career in 2001 and decided to start my own company in 2008. If I could make it in 2008 and 2009 I would be able to sustain a career in this industry,” he remembers thinking. “We went ahead flipping houses and things have worked out since then.”

Today, the San Antonio-based company is a full-service custom homebuilder in the Texas Hill Country region. TurnKey Builders’ objective is to offer a product, price point and professional service that Hoppes says is so often talked about but rarely delivered. “We are honest, loyal and respect our clients, their ideas and their style,” he says. “We exceed the customer service of any other builder because we delve in and get to understand what our clients want.”

TurnKey Builders limits the number of homes it builds in a year to ensure it delivers the highest-quality product and exceptional customer service. The company gained momentum in 2010 by taking on more new construction projects and has been building three to five homes per year. Hoppes expects to gradually increase production to eight to 10 homes this year. TurnKey Builders’ custom homes cost an average of $600,000 and range from 2,800 to 3,200 square feet.

“Each house we build is based off the land that it sits on,” Hoppes says. “We make sure the home is well positioned by highlighting trees, taking the sun into consideration and ensuring our clients have an amazing view. We orient the house to the land in Texas Hill Country.” The company often assists its clients in land selection as more of them request natural settings where homes will blend well with their surroundings. “We go above and beyond with what our clients expect while staying within their budget,” Hoppes says.

Rivers End

TurnKey Builders helped one of its clients select a plot of land in rural San Antonio that is surrounded by the Guadalupe River on three sides. German immigrants had previously built a home on the property in the 1920s or ’30s. “Old German newspapers from the 1800s were used as insulation in the walls,” Hoppes says. “The home had a metal roof and true lumber and stone walls, and we mimicked the look of those items in the updated house.”

Construction on the new 3,500-square-foot German ranch-style home took about seven-and-a-half months and was completed in January 2017. The backyard features a pool while a courtyard in the front of the home provides a retreat for the owners’ dogs away from the free-roaming cattle on the property.

The second-story balcony offers unobstructed views of the river and brings the outside in. “When selecting the lot we observe our surroundings and know where we are building and what to highlight so we can maximize the effects of the water and trees, bringing the best out of the home,” Hoppes adds. “Despite some of the harsh summers we have, we still have a lot of time throughout the year when homeowners can enjoy the weather and the natural Texas beauty.”

Moving forward, TurnKey Builders expects interest in Texas Hill Country to continue growing and hired its first project manager to prepare for increased demand. “Rural, private ranch land is our favorite to build on because we can create something totally unique from scratch,” Hoppes says. “It’s really cool to develop our clients’ dreams and see come to fruition.”